Sports

‘I was shocked': Masters champ questions Brooks Koepka's PGA Tour return

January 29, 2026

Story byOrlando Ramirez/Getty ImagesPGA Tour pros Brooks Koepka and Wyndham Clark watch a TGL match in 2025. Patrick Reed is leaving LIV ahead of the 2026 season and planning a PGA Tour return.1 / 3‘I was shocked': Masters champ questions Brooks Koepka's PGA Tour returnOrlando Ramirez/Getty Images1 / 3‘I was shocked': Masters champ questions Brooks Koepka's PGA Tour returnOrlando Ramirez/Getty Images2 / 3‘I was shocked': Masters champ questions Brooks Koepka's PGA Tour returnPGA Tour pros Brooks Koepka and Wyndham Clark watch a TGL match in 2025.3 / 3‘I was shocked': Masters champ questions Brooks Koepka's PGA Tour returnPatrick Reed is leaving LIV ahead of the 2026 season and planning a PGA Tour return. Kevin CunninghamThu, January 29, 2026 at 5:46 PM UTC·5 min readHideki Matsuyama greets Brooks Koepka ahead of the 2026 Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines. Orlando Ramirez/Getty ImagesPGA Tour veteran Hideki Matsuyama got his season off to a strong start at the Sony Open. But at this week’s Farmers Insurance Open, the 2021 Masters champion will have a formidable new opponent to contend with: Brooks Koepka. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementWhile Matsuyama doesn’t have any problems with Koepka personally, he does have a problem with the PGA Tour for allowing Koepka to return from LIV Golf, at least in the manner in which he did. Matsuyama shared his criticism of Koepka’s speedy Tour return in a new interview with Golf Digest Japan. Hideki Matsuyama questions PGA Tour over Koepka comebackKoepka was permitted to return to the PGA Tour via the newly-created Returning Member Program. The program has specific rules allowing an accelerated PGA Tour return for specific high-profile LIV golfers. Only Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm and Cameron Smith fit those criteria.

‘I was shocked': Masters champ questions Brooks Koepka's PGA Tour return

Credit: Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images

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With the window to take the deal closing on February 2, Koepka is the only one who has accepted it (though Patrick Reed’s LIV departure could inspire others to follow Koepka’s lead). AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementEven Koepka admitted he was surprised by how quickly everything came together after he split with LIV in late December.
Typically, former PGA Tour players who joined LIV would have to serve a one-year suspension when reapplying to the Tour. That’s why the Koepka news came as a surprise to Matsuyama, as he revealed in his interview with Golf Digest Japan.
News PGA Tour pros Brooks Koepka and Wyndham Clark watch a TGL match in 2025.“I was shocked when I heard about it in the news… I thought, ‘Oh, he’s coming back…’ I guess they took that measure because he had achieved results at LIV,” Matsuyama said in translated comments. Matsuyama displayed no animosity toward Koepka, saying of his LIV exit, “I think it’s pretty amazing that Brooks had the courage to make that decision.”AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementHowever, Matsuyama also revealed that he was “puzzled” by the situation, especially the lack of communication from the PGA Tour about the Returning Member Program.“But I’m puzzled that the PGA Tour didn’t explain anything to the players.
At the very least, I didn’t know that such a rule was in place,” he said. He then explained his confusion about why Koepka was allowed to circumvent the one-year ban for playing on LIV Golf.“While there has been a financial hit, what about the non-monetary aspects?
What happened to the rule that players who participated in LIV were not allowed to compete [on the PGA Tour] for a year?” Matsuyama said.

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‘I was shocked': Masters champ questions Brooks Koepka's PGA Tour return

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‘I was shocked': Masters champ questions Brooks Koepka's PGA Tour return

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